These portraits were taken using various lighting, I experimented with angles, tone, intensity and shadow to create different effects on how the face is perceived. - expand
I chose these images because they were the most striking and pleasing. They also showed a wide range of lighting techniques, which is what I needed for the task.
Catherine Christofis
"The plants I photograph are often seen as a nuisance and ugly. I want to change that conception and show the beauty in these weeds."
Personal Brief
Explore colour photography of the figure including enhancing and exaggerating colour to express a greater mood. Experiment with composition and perspective to distort the image.
Colour gels
I intended to photograph colour images with different lighting techniques for different effects. Using colour as the light source makes shadows different. I also used it as a colour filter which changes the light and the shadow, and gives a more unnatural effect.
www and ebi
Abstract figure
This is my first experiment using the body. I took these images of my hip in an empty bath so that I would have a plain background and a particular lighting.
Isolation
For these images, I took photos focusing on the hands and fingers, then isolated it by selecting around the arm/hand and decreasing the brightness.
Combining the figure and isolation
I took these pictures by putting the camera on a timer and standing against a white door. However, I wanted to incorporate the black backgrounds from my isolation experiment, and also because it looks better than a white background. I then made the image black and white after changing the colour balance, highlights, shadows and contrast to create a more striking image. I changed the colours of the original to make the different hues of the skin more prominent, so the image doesn't look flat. I enhanced some of the lighter and darker areas of the skin by "painting" it on photoshop. This is so I don't lose quality and increase the noise within the image by simply increasing the contrast. It also gives the image more of a softer, dreamy feel.
Contact Sheet
Dave Kelley
Contact Sheet
Editing/Process
For now, I decided to keep the paint minimal and continue focusing more on the body. The images with flash seemed unnatural but the images without needed brightening up, and cancelling out the tungsten hues. I also added more highlights and shadows by hand so that the image pops.
Variation
I use digital painting to give it more of a dreamlike effect. It does take some time, as I'm required to use my own artistic expertise, however I feel it's worth the outcome. When it comes to making images black and white I use multiple processes and colour balancing to make sure there is light and shadow where I prefer it to be. Blacking out the background gives a more professional feel, and the images blend better as a whole.
Focusing on singular body parts
In this task I aimed to introduce colour gels to my images of the body. It links to my previous images by using paint on the body however I chose to focus on 1 body part this time. My composition helped to support my response to the theme by adding angles and dimensions with the body and with the colours. I switched between using flash and using the light in the bathroom because they create different effects. I took some images at exaggerated angles to manipulate the depth of field. A issue I had was that layering too many colour gels would make the image blurry. For the exaggerated angles this wasnt much of an issue, however when taking flat images it just seemed out of focus.
My images express my intentions which were…
I found these to be effective, and a different, more colourful take on my paint idea.
Experimenting with UV paint
moving on with painting the body, I decided to try out UV paint.
Daria Khoroshavina
"I got an idea of a photo shoot where the only source of light would be body paint glowing in black light. I wanted to make something chaotic resembling space and sky photographs"
My contact sheet
I found it very difficult to get a splatter effect without ruining the model's clothes. The paint would tend to get everywhere somehow. I also didn't have the best range of colours.
The subject i chose to photograph was the body, as it is a larger canvas than an arm. It was difficult to photograph, as I needed a long exposure for the dark UV light, and I needed to stay perfectly still. I used a tripod to avoid camera shake, and so I could get the majority of the body in the frame.
Mock exam final piece
Clay on the body
David Benoliel. - Clay on the body
contact sheet
process
edits
I made this piece in response to David Benioliel. The process was to put clay on my upper body and wait for it to dry. However, as clay is not paint, it was difficult to apply smoothly. I wet it as much as possible, and tried to flatten small pieces then put it on my body and blend it. Some areas were thicker than others and took much longer to dry. I tried to dry it with a hairdryer, however it was very hot against my skin and burnt me. I photographed it during the drying time for a range of effects, (but also in case it wasn't going to dry). It did end up taking around an hour to dry completely, and by that point was cracking and shedding a lot once I had moved slightly (I wanted a cracked texture so that was fine). Benoliel also leaves some parts wet and some dry when photographing, However his seem to have more of a cracked texture wet than mine.